Last piece of election advice: Please vote

It was 1968 and I was 12 years old, sitting listening to the radio trying to get the latest results in the presidential race. It was the first Election Day that I remember. I was really into it.

I was a Humphrey man all the way, at least after Sen. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. I recall that my mom came into my room and “suggested” that I shut the radio down for the night and get some sleep. I don’t think I fooled her by going under the blankets to muffle the sound after that.

It was an exciting time. It was ’68 and people were taking to the streets to fight for women’s rights and civil rights, and against the war in Vietnam. It was an amazingly wonderful time to become alert to the world of politics.

Though my views have changed over the years, I was smitten by the political bug in that race and have never lost my love for watching how the American version of the democratic process plays out. At the time, I so disliked Richard Nixon, who won that night, that I lost the prettiest girl in my high school three years later when I refused to wear a Nixon’s the One button leading up to the 1972 race. Think about that through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy.

As you can see, I take my politics seriously and always have. I consider it a great privilege to be able to cast my ballot and have a voice and stake in the outcome.

Let’s have some perspective. I have traveled all over the world in the last couple of years, and have been to Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Armenia and Pakistan. I’ve had stopovers in Russia, France, United Arab Emirates and El Salvador. With few exceptions, they are relatively new to democracy, and America’s election process — as flawed as it is — is a shining ray of hope even still across the globe.

I have seen first-hand the results of dictatorship and the results when the people are locked out of the decision making. I want no part of that. I’m a voter, and don’t tell those people that voting doesn’t matter.

So on Election Day, I will get up extra early and get out of the house in time to cast my ballot. It means everything in the world to me to be able to do so, and I urge you to make the time and take the time to join me. I don’t care whom you vote for as long as you make your voice heard. Here’s why:

The folks who get elected deserve to know they are the choice of the majority of the people. But if so few people who are eligible to vote actually register, and if only a fraction of the those registered actually vote, you can see that only a relatively small percentage of citizens actually make the decisions. That’s not fair to the candidates.

Like you, I’m a busy person. I’ll have to vote by 7:30 a.m. so I can be in the office to direct our coverage. We’ll have our first reports up by the time I vote and will continue on a regular basis all day and night until the results are decided. Sign up at Tallahassee.com/text if you want to be alerted to our reports.

That evening – before 7:30 p.m. — I’ll anchor our news desk bringing you live updates from across the region. Byron Dobson will anchor our panel of experts to bring you analysis of results. Reporters in the office and at candidates’ watch parties will file live video and text updates as well.

You’ll be able to follow our team’s tweets by using the hashtag #TDelect and looking for our Postano and Storify social media reports.

It’s a big night for our team, which will also then turn around and meet deadlines for the morning edition of the Tallahassee Democrat and our mobile (m.tallahassee.com) and tablet (tablet.tallahassee.com) sites.

This year’s races have been exciting, and we’re still in the primary phrase. Just wait until November. No, don’t wait. Get out and vote and have a stake in the future of our region and state.

You can send comments by clicking on Bob Gabordi’s blog on Tallahassee.com, e-mailing him at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com and Twitter @bgabordi. You can also find links to his blogs on Facebook. His mailing address is Bob Gabordi, Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat, P.O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32302. His telephone number is (850) 599-2177.

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You can send comments by clicking on Bob Gabordi’s blog on Tallahassee.com or Move.Tallahassee.com, e-mailing him at bgabordi@tallahassee.com, sending a private message on Tallahassee.com and Twitter @bgabordi. You can also find links to his blogs on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. His mailing address is Bob Gabordi, Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat, P.O. Box 990, Tallahassee, FL 32302. His telephone number is 850-599-2177.